Fabricated cultivator sweep



L. O. WIESE FABRICATED CULTIVAIOR SWEEP Dec. 31, 1940.-

Filed July 23, 1957 Patented Dec. 31, 1940 FABRICATED CUL'rivAT R swearLee 0. Wiese, Perry, Iowa a v This invention relates to improvements incultivator sweeps and particularly the type of cultivator sweep that isused for surface cultivation, employing an upright body member andlaterally and rearwardly inclined cutting elements connected to thelower 'end of the body.

Heretofore this type of cultivator sweep has been formed from a singlepiece of sheet metal, the same being first blanked from the metal bysuitable dies. On account of the peculiar shape of the device aconsiderable amount of waste of metal is encountered. Furthermore,difficulty is encountered in obtaining the most desirable shape by thestamping process, it being desirable to provide on the sweep a ribextending from the point of the shovel and terminating in the uprightbody portionv so as to form a dividingelement to assist in separatingthe material as it is i moved past the lower end of the body member intwo directions.

I have found that by forming the sweepof a number of pieces of stockmaterial and welding the adjoining edges of the pieces togetherto form aunitary sweep member, the cost of the construction of the sweep may beconsiderably reduced and at the same time provide a sweep having abetter and more desirable shape.

It is, therefore, the object of my invention to construct a cultivatorsweep of the type having a vertical body member and laterally andrearwardly extending cutter elements projecting from the lower end ofthe body member formed of sections of stock sheet metal, and welding thesections together to accomplish the desired results.

A further object of my invention is to provide in a cultivator sweep ofthe type above described, improved means for increasing the life of thepoint of the sweep.

My invention further consists in an improved method by means of whichthe sweep of the type above described may be easily and eflicientlyconstructed.

My invention consists in the construction, ar-

rangement and combination of the various parts of the device, wherebythe objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully setforth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved cultivator sweep.

Figure 2 is a bottom elevation of the same. Figure 3 is a detailsectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure l illustrates n at ,the'cutterportions asblanked from stockinateriaL;

, Figure 5 is a planview of the sweep. Figure 6Qis an end view'of Figure5;'

Fi ure 7 is a detail sectionalview.tak

orgi e my} member My improved fsweep' comprises a body" portion l0blanked from stockbarsjof steel or other suitable material having oneend prbvidedfwith beveled: portions it to. form a pointed end; Themember .Illjis then placed in, a die and, curved as indicatedin Figure6, a rib. .13 being foi rnedlat the pointed end, as indicated in FigureQJfsaid ribbeing projected upwardly from thefffr'ont or right and left.The ,b'ody'portion i9. and thecutter portions [4 are then placed in asuitable, jig IT, with thebeveled portions Iii of the mem; bers l4nearly adjoining, and ,the bevels 12 of the..memberjadjoining th upperedges-.of ..the innerends of themembe'rs M, the members l4 beinginclinedrelative tothelhorizontal when the device is in itsnormal-working position. The

beveled edges l2 and IGare then welded together,

as illustrated in Figure 2, with a small amount of the hard weldingmaterial between the beveled edges I6 to form a hard seam zea, asillustrated in Figure 10, the sweep being placed in the jig preferablyin an inserted position and with the jig supported beneath a forming dieis, having a pointed end 19 supported above the seam uniting the bevelededges It. As'soon as the said edges l6 have been welded together, thenthe die I8 is lowered so as to press the welded ends I 6 into a groove20 formed in the jig ll, so as to form a rib 2| connecting with the ribI 3 of the body ID, or in some cases, both the ribs 2| and 13 may beformed by a single operation, said forming operation taking place whilethe seam is hot from the welding process. The cavity in the pointed end22 of the sweep is filled with a non-abrasive alloy 23 by an electricwelding method. This provides means for reinforcing the pointed end andat the same time providing a very hard tough substance which willwithstand a comparatively large amount of wear.

Holes 24 are formed in the body memberfby means of which the sweep maybe attached to a cultivator shank by suitable bolts. The front and uppersurface of the sweep is then finished and polished and the edge I5 issharpened, the

of earth formed by moving the sweepthere through.

Figure 11 illustrates a modified form of my device in which the lowerend of the body [0 is pointed in the manner above described. A V- shapedcutter element 28 is then provided, the beveled edges of the pointed endof the body (0 being placed .adjaeent to the adjoining inner and upperedges of the member 28,after which the said edges are welded together. Arib 29 is then formed in the apex end of the front surface of the member28, all as clearly illustrated in Figure 11. v v

In Figure 12 I have illustrated'another modified form in which the lowerend of the body I0 is provided with an enlarged portion 25 havingshoulders 26 to receive the adjoining ends of the cutters 21. These arewelded together in the manner before described. A separating rib 30 maythen be formed in the enlarged portion 25.

Thus it will be seen I have provided a cultivator sweep which is simple,durable and of comparatively cheap cost, and. one which may be easilymanufactured with a comparatively small amount of equipment, as it willreadily be seen that sweeps of various dimensions may be easilyconstructed by simply increasingor decreasing the length of the cuttermembers [4 and a single jig used for the assemblingiof 'the device ifthe angle of the cutting edges is the same, one relative to the other.Difierent shaped sweeps may be easily provided by simply changing theangle of the beveled edges l2 and 16 and providing suitable jigs for theassembly, or an adjustable jig can easily be provided, in which case asingle jig would be sufficient to permit the manufacturer to assemblesweeps of various shapes and sizes; Heretofore it has been necessary inproviding sweeps of different sizesjto provide a complete set ofblanking and forming dies for each different size or shape, so that theinitial cost of manufacturing applicants sweep has been a greatlydecreased from that necessary to manufacture sweeps of a single piece.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of forming a fabricated cultivator sweep, comprising anupright body and a portion provided with laterally diverging andprojecting cutter portions, which consists in stamping the body andcutter portions separately of sheet metal, then welding the partstogether to form a unitary sweep structure, then pressing by suitabledies one of the Welded seams while hot from welding, to formon the upperand forward surface of the sweep an gipwardly and' rearwardly extendingdividing 'rib.'

, 2. The method of forming a fabricated cultivator sweep, comprising anupright body and a portion provided with laterally diverging andprojecting cutter portions, which consists in stampingthe body andcutter portions separately of sheetmetal, then supporting the stampofthe sweep an upwardly and rearwardly extending dividing rib.

' 3. 'Ihemethod of forming a fabricated cultivator sweep, comprising anupright body and a portion provided with laterallydiverging andprojecting cutter portions which consists in stamping the body andcutter portions separately of sheet metal, then supporting the stampingsin a jig in the desired form, then welding the adjoining ends togetherwith hard welding material in such quantitiesas to form a seam or rib onthe under surface of and between the adjoining ends of the cutters, thenpressing the seam thus formed, outwardly from said inner surface into asuitable groove in the supporting jig while hot from welding, to formbehind and between the adjoining edges of said cutter portion a hardenedand upwardly and rearwardly extended dividing rib. I

4. The method of forming a fabricated cultivator sweep, comprising anupright body portion provided with laterally diverging and projectingcutterportions which consists in stamping the body and cutter portionsseparately of sheet metal, the cutter portions being formed of sheetmetal previously rolled to a taper to form a cutting edge, thensupporting the body and cutter portions inproper relation to each other,

then welding the adjoining endstogether with a hard welding alloy toform a seam or rib on the under surface of and between the adjoiningends of the cutters, then pressing the seam thus formed, outwardly fromsaid surface into a suitable groove in the supporting jig while hot fromwelding, to form behind and between the adjoining edges of the cutterportion an upwardly and rearwardly extended dividing rib.

- LEE 0. WIESE.

